More rallies are being planned and calls for justice in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen, by a George Zimmerman, 28, a self-appointed neighborhood watch member, continue to grow.
In Titusville hundreds attended a vigil and rally Sunday, with calls for the arrest of Zimmerman. Today, law students from Valencia, UCF and FAMU protested outside the Seminole Court House. Other rallies and vigils are planned.
On Tuesday, the NAACP will hold a town-hall meeting in Sanford. And on Thursday, the Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and MSNBC Host of ‘Politics Nation’ will lead a rally at the First Shiloh Baptist Church in Sanford, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, an online petition calling on the Seminole County State Attorney Norm Wolfinger to prosecute Zimmerman has already collected more than 400,000 signatures.
Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother said on the TODAY’s Show Monday that, she believes her son was targeted due to the ‘color of his skin.’
Asked what she thought Zimmerman was referring to when he called 911 on February 26, the night he shot Trayvon, telling police the “suspicious person” he saw was up to no good and something was wrong with the guy, Fulton replied:
“He (Zimmerman) was reacting to the color of his skin,” she said. ” He committed no crime. My son wasn’t doing anything but walking on the sidewalk and I just don’t understand why this situation got out of control.”
Fulton added that, “I am pretty sure my son tried to get away. He didn’t know who this guy was. He saw him as a stranger. So he was trying to just get away from the situation.”
Zimmerman has told police that he shot Martin in self-defense.
Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Trayvon’s family, who also spoke on the TODAY Show, asked about the “Stand Your Ground Law” which Florida, along with 15 other states has, making it easier to claim self-defense said:
“I think Zimmerman has no legal recourse. He was not at his home. He was on a sidewalk, a common area. Trayvon Martin was 70 feet away from the back door; he was almost home. Zimmerman got out of his car, did not listen to the police, and chased this kid.”
Added Crump: “You can’t chase somebody and then claim elf-defense. He had a 9 millimeter gun, he was almost 80 pounds more in weight than Trayvon Martin….When you listen to those 911 tapes, and the three witnesses, everybody in America is asking when are they going to arrest Zimmerman for killing this kid in cold blood?”
Under pressure on account of growing public outrage Sanford Police Department released eight 911 tapes last Friday, made on the night Trayvon was killed.
Zimmerman, who placed the first call to 911 when he spotted a “suspicious person” inside the gated community in Sanford, was told by police not to follow him.
Although the dispatcher tells Zimmerman not to follow the person and that an officer is on his way, he does so anyway.
Last week, the police department also turned over the results of their investigation to State Attorney Wolfinger who will decide whether or not Zimmerman should be charged or send the case to a grand jury for a decision.
Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett and Police Chief Bill Lee have invited the U.S. Department of Justice along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to review the investigation.
The Florida Civil Right Association has written to Gov. Rick Scott asking that a special prosecutor be appointed to handle the investigation.
